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endura pro sl thermal jacket
"what strategies do we use to guide the strategic direction and pace of change? is this carefully planned to ensure sufficient time for embedding improvements?
if the above statement leaves you feeling a tad confused, you are in good company. that particular paragraph was culled from the pages of an education authority document headed 1.3 Leadership of Change handed out at a meeting in the local school this past week. the school was the subject of a three-day review by the local education department in preparation for one of those doubtlessly invasive inspections that every school seems to endure on a periodic basis. i do not recall any such bureaucracy during my own years at secondary school, but then, who was really paying attention?
my own involvement in this was as a representative of the local community; those undertaking the review were allegedly keen to talk to several of these representatives to gauge our opinions on the school's position within the community. to be honest, the one hour allotted to this discussion scarcely seemed sufficient and as is often the case, there appeared to be several hidden agendas at work to which i was not party. nor, indeed, was i overly concerned.
i visit the school at least a couple of times a week in order to tutor both higher and advanced higher drumming students, something i happily do on a voluntary basis and because i was asked. a situation such as this occured quite naturally; the music teacher is a good friend of mine. when community engagement takes place in this manner, i think it's a good thing, but i'm less inclined to put my energies behind a potentially artificial situation. the fact that islay's youngsters are taught in a local secondary school makes it a part of the community whether it wants to be or not; it's a bit of a nonsense to attempt greater integration for the sake of it.
however, when the assembled representatives are presented with a document bearing more than just a single example of language such as that quoted above, it's hard not to have the word pretentious appear front and centre. i have a sneaking feeling that there's really not much going on, other than meetings about meetings, as opposed to just teaching the kids. but then words are very helpful in describing situations to others, as long as they fulfil the function for which they were invented.
and the word 'underestimated' was that which sprang to mind on my first ride around the loch, clad in a pair of endura pro-sl bibtights matched to the scottish company's pro-sl thermal jacket in its rather strikingly desirable navy blue and orange colourway. the orange is identifiably the region featuring the three rear pockets and the essential fourth zipped version, as well as a welcome and bright level of rearward pointing visibility. and it's not just the orange; the jacket features strategic placement of reflective trim to help stand out in a darkened peloton or just crappy weather.
my underestimation took two distinct forms. for one, i underestimated just how cool an islay afternoon could become, an admission of which i am less than proud. however, i also underestimated just how effectively the pro-sl thermal could/would cope with such a set of circumstances. the dark blue stretchy fabric is impressively windproof, no doubt easing the job of thermaling (is there such a word?) the rider thus clad. this effective warmth control extends all the way up the full-length front zip to the commendably high collar which made a darned fine job of retaining body heat in the face of cooling adversity.
the jacket's impeccable fit is aided by its elasticity. the sleeves are of admirable length and feature extended cuffs to create a symbiotic meeting with whichever pair of gloves you have chosen to accessorise. oddly, for scotland's west coast, the jacket met with remarkably little rainfall; enough to convince me of at least modest showerproofing, though if it's rain that you're concerned about, you might be better looking towards the waterproof pro-sl shell jacket. my one disappointment is the lack of a loop at the collar with which to hang it up; a trivial, yet unfortunate oversight .
the thermal version as reviewed is a jacket that you really ought never to underestimate, but one that you may well find to be an essential garment for this time of year. though based on scotland's other and arguably drier coast, endura probably know more about weather protection than any of us really want to find out.
endura's pro-sl thermal jacket is available in navy/orange (as reviewed), red, black or hi-viz green. sizing begins with small and ends up at xxl. price is £149.99.
friday 6 october 2017
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